In the khazan fields of Goa, farmers speak with quiet urgency. “Without the Mhadei, our fields are finished,” says one cultivator from Bicholim. The delicate balance of salt and fresh water that makes khazan cultivation possible depends on the river’s flow. If that balance tilts, fields will turn barren. Downstream, fisherfolk echo the fear. As saline water pushes further inland, their catch has declined. “The river owns us,” one fisherman from Divar put it, “Without her, we are nothing.” These voices are not statistics in a tribunal—they are living proof that the Mhadei is more than water. She is a lifeline, a cultural being, and a test of justice.
More Than Numbers in a Ledger
The Mhadei (Mandovi) originates in Karnataka, flows through the forests and villages of Goa, and drains into the Arabian Sea. Her 3,800 square kilometre basin spans Goa (52%), Karnataka (35%), and Maharashtra (13%). Hydrologically, it is one integrated river system. Politically, it has been fragmented into state-owned parcels.
In 2018, the Mhadei Water Disputes Tribunal (MWDT) allocated 13.42 TMC of water to Karnataka, including 3.9 TMC for diversion to the Malaprabha basin. Goa objected, warning of saline intrusion, destruction of wetlands, and ecological collapse. Yet in 2023, the Centre granted environmental clearance to Karnataka’s Kalasa-Banduri project—conveniently ahead of elections.
Commons, Not Commodities
This conflict is not only about allocations and maps. It is about whether India understands rivers as divisible assets or as the Commons. Water belongs to all and to none. It cannot be owned by governments, traded by corporations, or carved up by states. It is a shared trust that must flow equitably and sustainably. Goa’s traditions have long recognised this. The Mhadei is not a resource but a being: worshipped in folk rituals, sustaining khazan wetlands, feeding fields and mangroves.
Electoral Expediency, Environmental Myopia
Karnataka’s leaders present the Kalasa-Banduri diversion as a lifeline for parched northern districts. In reality, large-scale projects often serve urban-industrial complexes rather than small farmers. The roots of Karnataka’s water stress lie as much in deforestation, sand mining, and poor planning as in natural scarcity. Goa’s governments, meanwhile, have alternated between submission and token protest. Instead of building broad-based ecological expertise and community participation, they have relied on petitions and Delhi delegations. This passivity has demoralised citizens and weakened Goa’s moral claim.
People Speak for the River
If the state falters, civil society has stepped in. The Mhadei Bachao Abhiyan has united farmers, fisherfolk, environmentalists, and youth across party lines. They march, file petitions, and raise awareness. They know that when the river dies, so will their livelihoods and cultures. Fishermen testify to how rising salinity affects breeding grounds and reduces fish populations. Women in riverbank villages worry about drinking water sources. Young people fear they will inherit only dry beds and broken promises. These voices rarely reach the corridors of power. Instead, governments respond with silence, or worse, with hostility towards activists.
Towards a Commons Ethic
A just resolution must begin by recognising the Mhadei as an ecological common. That means shifting the debate from “how much water to allocate” to “how to preserve the river’s integrity.”
Four principles can guide such a paradigm:
- Ecological sustainability – maintain flow to protect biodiversity and estuarine health.
- Livelihood priority – fisherfolk, farmers, and rural households must be primary beneficiaries.
- Intergenerational justice – protect the rights of future generations to clean, flowing water.
- Democratic participation – decision-making must include local communities, not just technocrats.
This reflects Article 21 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to life, and echoes the UN’s recognition of water as a human right in 2010.
Let the river flow. And let justice flow with it.
(The writer is an advocate for Environmental Democracy)
